For a show called Sword Art Online, there's got to be swords. Blacksmith Tony Swatton's latest project for Man At Arms was the Elucidator from Sword Art Online, a popular, recent anime series.

Swatton said in this episode that swords based on Japanese anime are some of his favorites to make, and this particular sword has been one many fans have been requesting for a long time. Kirito's Elucidator is black, matching his nearly all black outfit, and is fairly jagged. The sword has a surprising number of details I hadn't quite noticed from watching the show.

Swatton and his team work together to trace the basic design for the sword, trace it on steel, cut out the design on the steel, and remove an inner section for the blade's unique design. If you've seen any other Man At Arms episode, the general process is about the same, with some tweaks here and there for different designs and finishes. The blade itself is treated with a black oxidized finish to give it the sleek black appearance. From there, Swatton finishes the details and sharpens the blade for the routine hack n' slash at the end.

Sword Art Online is a two-arc 25-episode anime series adapted from light novels about a group of people who get stuck inside a game called Sword Art Online and must finish the game to leave. The second arc involves a different game, as will the upcoming second season.

Omnicrom:A crap show spawned a good. Kudos Man At Arms, you continue to be excellent at what you do.

Indeed, while I am not one to judge people's media choices, I do not see why people like that particular anime. I hear the novels are much better, but I cant really be asked to read them at the moment.

I would love to see something like the Zweihander from Dark Souls be made. Granted it is a real weapon, but I like the design of that particular one in the game.